Improvement in gas-retorts



a. McILH EN NEY.

GaS-Retorts.

Patented D ec.15,1873.

Wyappm.

UNITED STATES PATENT Grrron.

GEORGE A. MCILHENNY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-RETORTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 145,672,datcd December16, 1873; application filed October 10, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. lVICILI-IENNY, of Washington, in thecounty of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented certainImprovements in GasRetorts, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to gas-retorts, and the invention consists in thepeculiar construction of a mouth-piece, and in a novel device forfastening and unfastening the lid or door, as hereinafter more fullydescribed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, shown partly in section. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of a portion, and Fig. 3 is a top-plan view.

The object of this invention is to make a mouth-piece with a circulardoor of such a style that it can be bolted to the front of the ordinaryD-shaped retort, and have its lower wall or floor come flush with thebottom of the retort, and also to provide a convenient and eflicientmeans of fastening and unfastening the door.

To accomplish these objects, I construct the mouth-piece H with a body,B, of the same form, in cross-section, as the retort It, and with aflange at its rear end, by which it can be securely bolted to the frontend of the retort, as represented in Fig. 1, care being taken to soconstruct this neck B that its bottom shall come flush with the bottomof the retort, and form a continuation thereof, as shown in Fig. 1. Atthe front end is the mouth-piece H, provided with a circular rim, whichprojects below the'bottom, as shown in Fig. 1, and in which is fitted acircular door, L, as fully described in my former patents. This neck Bmay be made of uniform diameter its whole length, as represented in Fig.1 or it may be made to converge toward the front, as represented in Fig.3, in which latter case the door may be correspondingly reduced indiameter, thereby saving metal and labor.

By this method of constructing and attaching the mouth-piece, it will beseen that they can be readily applied to the retorts in common usewithout removing or altering the latter, and that, when so applied,there is no cavity or recess in the bottom for tar or carbon toaccumulate in, and that thus the retort can be as readily cleared of itscontents as though the mouth-piece had not been attached.

It is very desirable to have some means by which the lid or door of theretorts can be easily and quickly opened and closed; and, to accomplishthis result, I hang the door on hinges at one side, as shown in Fig. 3,and provide it with a projecting lip, a, at its opposite edge, as shownin Figs. 2 and 3. I then provide a handle, h, which is journaled in anysuitable manner to the side of the mouth-piece, it being shown attachedloosely to a plate, A, which, in turn, is secured firmly to an arm, 0,projecting laterally from the side of the part B. On the stem or body ofthis handle it I secure or cast a locking-cam, I, which has an incline,e, on one side, arranged to engage over the lip a of the door, andthereby crowd and hold the door shut, this incline enabling the operatorto exert great force on the door, so as to shut it perfectly tight,especially when the door is so formed as to seat itself by a narrow lineof contact in the mouth of the retort or mouth-piece, as described in myformer patents. On the opposite edge of this lockingcam I anotherincline, f, is formed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it being arranged toengage under the lip a, instead of over it, so that, when the handle 72.is turned in the opposite direction, this incline f will act to forcethe door open. The two inclines e and f constitute, in effect, a threadof a screw, and operate on the same principle; and, indeed, the cam. Imay be constructed with a large or coarse screw-thread on its periphery,and made to operate the same. It is desirable to make the cam I of sucha size that, in order to lock or unlock the door L, it need be turnedbut part of a revolution, it having one side cut away, as shown in Fig.2, so that when that side is turned next to the door it will not projectover the lip, and thus leave the door free to be swung open or shutwithout obstruction. As the doors of retorts are stuck fast by the tarand other matter that accumulates at the mouth, this ready and powerfulmeans of opening or loosening it is very important. It is also importantas a means of closing it quickly and tightly.

These two features add greatly to value of the ordinary or D shapedretorts, and by them my improved lids can be most successfully appliedto the ordinary retorts without removing them from their position, itonly being necessary to remove their present fronts and bolt on thismouth-piece.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The neck-piece13, provided with the circular mouth H at its front end, and a flangefor attaching it to the retort at its rear end, said part B being made Dshaped transversely, and havin g its floor or lower side flush with thefloor of the retort, substantially as described.

2. The neck-piece B, having its rear end of a form and size to fit thebody R of the retort, and made to converge toward its front end, wherebya circular mouth and door of less diameter can be used, as set forth.

3. The locking-cam I, constructed and arranged to operate substantiallyas described, whereby it can be made to fasten and unfasten the door ofa retort, as set forth.

GEO. A. lWIoILHENNY.

\Vitnesses WV. G. DODGE, J NO. D. PATTEN.

